


it takes and it takes and it takes

by i_was_human



Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Dark, Death, Gen, Mental Instability, Post-Apocalypse, Presumed Dead, Sad Ending, Unreliable Narrator, i broke minsoo oops, minsoo fucking murdered everyone, no beta we die like the entire city, this is just weird
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:40:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28202517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: How many cheered when Dongho died? How many attacked them, tried to kill them, shunned them for beingnot normal?(how many once loved them?)
Relationships: Ahn Jaewon | Wyld & Kang Dongho | D.Min & Kim Daehyun & Lee Minsoo
Kudos: 6





	it takes and it takes and it takes

They were heroes, once.

They were heroes once, Minsoo remembers. They were heroes - back before the city collapsed and the sky turned dark and the clean air grew polluted with smoke. They were heroes, back Before.

He can still remember the way they looked at him, back then. Can still remember the adoration in their eyes, can still remember the way they looked at him like he was a god, something come down to bless and save them, and then Dongho would-

and then it fell apart.

He can still remember that day, too.

He can't remember much from Before, but he remembers that day in every excruciating, perfect detail.

They were running from - running from _something_ , he remembers - and it was raining, and it was slick, and Minsoo was leading the villain away while the others set up a trap, and then-

screaming.

Screaming, then silence.

Minsoo ripped his earpiece out and threw it to the ground, and _oh_ , he could see it in the distance - smoke-gray nearly the same shade as the sky - and the water collecting on the rooftops splashed as he ran, and then-

Daehyun.

Daehyun, one hand pressed to his burned and ruined arm, and the tears spilling down his cheeks were the same color as the rain, and Minsoo _couldn't breathe_.

The building they set the trap in was nothing but rubble.

Nothing but rubble, and there Jaewon was, lying on the street while officers swarmed him, and _Minsoo couldn't breathe_.

(where was dongho?)

More explosions rocked the city, and gunshots broke the air, and Minsoo-

_(where was dongho?)_

-screamed.

The city fell apart at his hands, that day, torn to shreds with all the power he'd stored up over seven years, and yet, he kept screaming.

**_(where was dongho?)_ **

Slowly, slowly, a hand reached out to grasp his shoulder, and he wheeled, gaze landing on Daehyun's waterlogged form.

"Hyung," Daehyun rasped, but Minsoo could barely hear him over the ringing in his ears.

_**(where was dongho where was dongho ẘ̴͕h̷̥̍e̷̥͗r̵̦̈è̶̱ ̸͈̆w̸͖͒a̷͈͘s̴̢͝ ̷̏͜ḏ̶̆o̶̗͋n̵̰̓ğ̸͍h̵͇͝o̷͚͝-)** _

"Where's Dongho-hyung...?"

And Daehyun looked at him, tears shimmering in his eyes, and, yet again, Minsoo _screamed_.

(he's never stopped screaming.)

* * *

There are so many dead in the streets.

Minsoo's feet crunch against the pavement as he walks through the former town square, gaze drifting from the leafless trees to the thousands of charred bodies strewn around the wasteland.

They deserve it.

How many cheered when Dongho died? How many attacked them, tried to kill them, shunned them for being _not normal_?

( ~~how many once loved them?~~ )

It doesn't matter.

People are all the same, after all.

The loud "crack" of a glass bottle rings through the air, and Minsoo frowns, dipping his head to stare at the ground underneath him.

They were loved, once.

They were loved, and now Dongho's dead, dead and gone, because the city would rather have villainy than powered heroes-

 _breathe_.

Jaewon's still not awake, and that's fine.

Daehyun's- Daehyun doesn't speak anymore, but that's fine.

(nothing's been fine since dongho left.)

He reaches out to grasp a tree, a long sigh slipping through his lips as the bark leaves smears of soot on his hand.

Even the trees are dead, now.

* * *

Back before they were MAYHEM, they were _MinsooandDongho_.

Neither of them had homes - both of them thrown out as soon as their powers began to manifest - but they had each other, and for a time, that was fine.

Minsoo could absorb others' powers, and Dongho could travel in and control shadows, so they were _fine_. They were- they were fine, back then.

Sure, they got thrown out for being freaks, and Dongho would come home bloody and bruised because someone jumped him, but they were fine.

Better than fine, even! They found Jaewon and Daehyun, so they made a team, and then people started to care.

(people liked what they did. never liked them.)

People- people liked having heroes around to handle the villains. People took and took and took and they never asked for anything else, just _peace_.

And then they took Dongho.

They took Dongho, and they took Jaewon's mind, and they took Daehyun's voice, and they took Minsoo's sanity, and they _take_ and they _take_ and they _take_ -

exhale.

Minsoo tugs his scarf over his nose once more, goggle-covered eyes drifting around the decimated remains of their home. _There_ \- the broken remains of Dongho's piano. _There-_ Daehyun's guitar, the neck broken and strings curling off the end. _There-_ Jaewon's plushie, dirty and burned and _ruined_.

 _There-_ the first photo they took.

It must've been right after they stopped their first villain, Minsoo remembers, because there they are - in their hoodies and goggles - and they're all smiling so, so bright, so bright and hopeful and _alive_ -

The world doesn't pay you back for good things. It just takes and takes and takes.

He reaches over to pull the ruined penguin plush into his arms, lips curling into a frown as it disintegrates into ash at his touch.

Hm. Jaewon will just have to buy another when he wakes up.

If he wakes up.

No- _when_ he wakes up, because he _will_ wake up. Jaewon _will_ wake up, because Dongho's dead and Daehyun's silent and Jaewon was always so, so hopeful, he can fix this-

(nobody can fix this.)

* * *

SA1NT come back again.

Of course they do. Minsoo's a supervillain now.

What he _doesn't_ expect is who they bring with them.

Dongho. 

No- it's _not_ Dongho, even if it is. It's not Dongho, because Dongho is dead under the rubble of the building, Dongho is dead and gone and _dead_ , and Minsoo can't believe they'd try to distract him with something like this, _isn't Minsung his brother?_

He doesn't know whether to scream or cry, so he laughs.

He laughs, and not-Dongho steps forwards, and there are such horrific burn scars over his face, and Dongho doesn't have burn scars over his face, and Minsoo's psyche ~~has long since shattered~~ is _shattering_.

"Minsoo," not-Dongho breathes, and his voice is low and rasping and stuttering over all the wrong syllables and _this is not Dongho_.

This is not Dongho, and so Minsoo laughs.

Minsoo laughs, and the city crumbles around him, broken edifices brought to their knees and adding to the dust in the air, and someone's shouting and someone's screaming and _the world is breaking_ but Minsoo laughs, because _isn't this fucking funny?_

(what is?)

(he doesn't know anymore.)

Someone reaches up to cup his face, and his head jerks up, scarf falling down around his neck, and _oh_ , he knows those eyes, knows that face, _knows him_ -

He knows him, and yet he laughs. 

He knows him, and yet he laughs as the city crumbles around them, and the man's grabbing his wrist, trying to tug him away, but Minsoo steps back, bending double as frenzied giggles spill over his lips.

Someone's still screaming, somewhere.

A shadow looms over him, and the man lunges forwards, a scream tearing its way from his throat, and Minsoo only has time to think _"oh, it's you"_ before the rubble comes down, and he feels nothing more.

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by the big hero six fic "Madness and Other Allergies" by Uniasus but i'm not tagging it because ~anxiety~
> 
> title from wait for it from hamilton
> 
> pls leave a comment :DD
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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